Elected officials, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Sen. Charles Schumer are outraged that the federal government flew a jetliner near Ground Zero, causing panic to thousands of New Yorkers and causing several buildings to be evacuated this morning.

Bloomberg said the flyover -- which the Federal Aviation Administration called a planned event to allow the Air Force to take photos of the Statue of Liberty -- showed "poor judgment" and was insensitive to New Yorkers who still have images of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks fresh on their minds. Two fighter jets escorted the presidential airplane.

Sen. Charles Schumer blasted the FAA for not letting people know about what was going to happen to quell fears.

"This was a photo shoot ," Schumer said. "There was no need for surprise . "There was no need to scare thousands of New Yorkers who still have the vivid memory of 9/11."

The Presidential Airlift Group, in conjunction with the FAA, "conducted an aerial photo mission in the New York City area," which also included "normally scheduled training for assigned crew members" between 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. said Air Force spokesman Gary Strasburg.

He said the flight involved VC-25, a Defense Department version of the 747 that is called Air Force One when the president is aboard, and an Air Force One F-16 fighter jet.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said he had no information on the flying photo op.

"The flight of a VC-25 aircraft and F-16 fighters this morning was authorized by the FAA for the vicinity of the Statue of Liberty with directives to local authorities not to disclose information about it but to direct any inquiries to the FAA Air Traffic Security Coordinator," read a message sent to the media by the NYPD.

Below is a video of the plane:

-Reported by Stephanie Slepian and Glenn Nyback. Associated Press material was used in this report.